The General and American Family Insurance announce new partnership with Morehouse College

The General Insurance, along with parent company American Family Insurance, has announced a new partnership with Morehouse College, the nation’s only historically Black liberal arts institution dedicated to educating and developing men. The $45,000 investment, which will be paid over three years, will help to support and expand the Summer Math and Science Honors Academy (SMASH) program on the campus of Morehouse College in Atlanta.

SMASH Morehouse is an intensive, three-year college prep program that strives to empower students through project-based learning that develops their academic talents and exposes them to STEM careers. Students are challenged to be agents of change by critically analyzing challenges facing their communities and creating solutions rooted in STEM principles.

The pre-college initiative provides economic opportunities for underrepresented communities and seeks to eliminate barriers to students of color interested in STEM professions to meet demands for a diverse workforce.

“Morehouse is a national leader in STEM education and has produced a pipeline of highly-qualified professionals who are bringing new innovation to the tech industry and much-needed diversity to the ranks of leadership and beyond,” said Monique Dozier, Morehouse College’s vice president of institutional advancement. “The Summer Math and Science Honors Academy is where the introduction to the Morehouse experience begins for young STEM students. I would like to thank The General Insurance and American Family Insurance for supporting SMASH Morehouse and partnering with us to inspire young minds to pursue excellence.”

Supporting HBCUs

According to Cheryl Mabry-Shirey, talent acquisition manager for The General, this new partnership is part of an effort to support historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs).

“The General is committed to expanding our relationship with HBCUs to provide career training and opportunities for diverse student populations,” said Mabry-Shirey. “Collaborating with our talent acquisition and diversity and inclusion teams at The General and American Family, we determined Morehouse College and the success of their SMASH program aligned with our goals, while creating a pipeline for a diverse and talented future workforce,” she said.

This partnership is one more example of the American Family Insurance group’s commitment to diverse recruitment, hiring and retention.

“It’s important that our workforce represents the communities we serve,” said Mabry-Shirey. “We believe a diverse workforce helps us outperform competitors and leads to more innovative problem-solving. It can also support productivity, employee morale and higher engagement and retention rates.”

Partnerships reach beyond campus

American Family Insurance and its operating companies, including The General, take a holistic approach to establishing partnerships with universities and colleges across the country. These targeted partnerships are based on several factors such as high-caliber educational programs and student body diversity. They include elements like programs, internships, scholarships and apprenticeships that assist students and help enhance recruitment efforts.

However, equally important is a connection to the community through investment and engagement that support not only the campus, but also the community, such as support of initiatives that promote equal opportunity and social justice, mentoring and volunteering that provide positive benefits to the community as a whole.

This is the second HBCU partnership for The General Insurance. The first, announced in February 2020, is with Tennessee State University (TSU) to provide career training and employment opportunities for TSU students, and support the career development center and athletics academic services.

Investment part of larger American Family initiative

This community investment partnership is part of the Free to Dream initiative announced Feb. 23, 2021. American Family has pledged $105 million over the next five years to further its already deep commitment to closing racial equity gaps and affecting social impact and positive change in communities across the country. Free to Dream focuses investments on five societal issues: Economic empowerment; education and health equity; climate resilience; criminal justice reform; and workforce diversity, equity and inclusion.

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Media contacts for The General and Morehouse College:
Jillian Reily
The General
jreily@thegeneral.com
615-744-1418

Cedric Mobley
Morehouse College
cedric.mobley@morehouse.edu
202-641-8308

About Morehouse College
Morehouse College is the only historically Black college dedicated to educating men. Founded in 1867, Morehouse is a private, liberal arts institution and the nation's top producer of Black men who go on to receive doctorates. The College is the top producer of Rhodes Scholars among HBCUs and was named to the list of U.S. institutions that produced the most Fulbright Scholars in 2019-2020. As the epicenter for thought leadership on civil rights, Morehouse is committed to helping the nation address the inequities caused by institutional racism, which has created social and economic disparities for people of African descent. Prominent Morehouse alumni include: Martin Luther King Jr., Nobel Peace Prize Laureate; Dr. David Satcher, former U.S. Surgeon General; Shelton "Spike" Lee, Academy Award-winning American filmmaker; Maynard H. Jackson, the first African American mayor of Atlanta; Jeh Johnson, former U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security; Louis W. Sullivan, former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services; Bakari Sellers, attorney and CNN political analyst; Randall Woodfin, elected as the youngest mayor of Birmingham in 120 years; and U.S. Senator Raphael Warnock, Georgia’s first Black U.S. senator from Georgia. For more information, visit: https://morehouse.edu.

About The General
The General Automobile Insurance Services, Inc. (The General®) is a licensed insurance agency and subsidiary of PGC Holdings Corp. (PGC), which is wholly owned by American Family Mutual Insurance Company. Through its insurance company subsidiaries and their predecessors, PGC has been writing automobile insurance since 1963, serving customers who may find it difficult to obtain insurance from other carriers at a reasonable rate. Visit www.thegeneral.com or www.thegeneral.com/shaq; follow The General on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

About the American Family Insurance group
Based in Madison, Wisconsin, American Family Insurance has been serving customers since 1927. We inspire, protect and restore dreams through our insurance products, exceptional service from our agency owners and employees, community investment and creative partnerships to address societal challenges. We act on our belief in diversity and inclusion by constantly evolving to meet customer needs and preferences. American Family Insurance group is the nation’s 13th-largest property/casualty insurance group, ranking No. 254 on the Fortune 500 list. The group sells American Family-brand products, primarily through exclusive agency owners in 19 states. The American Family Insurance group also includes CONNECT, powered by American Family Insurance, The General, Homesite and Main Street America. Across these companies the group has more than 13,200 employees nationwide.